Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own… MoreSyd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate. (c) Official Site

A savvy filmmaker still needs a decent script. Cronenberg has more talent in his little finger than a school full of trained hacks, but the story here? Meh, not… MoreA savvy filmmaker still needs a decent script. Cronenberg has more talent in his little finger than a school full of trained hacks, but the story here? Meh, not so much. It could've used more gell time maybe (as the ideas are sound sci-fi, no doubt). I'll be looking for more from this guy in the future.

Gimly M.

David Cronenberg's kid does a pretty good job, especially considering it's his first feature. The world takes precedence over clarity of story, but so… MoreDavid Cronenberg's kid does a pretty good job, especially considering it's his first feature. The world takes precedence over clarity of story, but so long as that's not the sort of thing that phases you, then I'd definitely recommend this dark satirical sci-fi.

The Movie Waffler

'Antiviral' presents us with a celebrity obsessed near future. In order to make a connection with their favorite celebs, members of the public can pay… More'Antiviral' presents us with a celebrity obsessed near future. In order to make a connection with their favorite celebs, members of the public can pay to be infected with diseased cells extracted directly from the stars. Syd (Landry Jones) works for a clinic which facilitates this process, infecting his customers with the latest afflictions of their idols. To make some money on the side, Syd secretly injects himself with these cells before extracting them from his body and trading them on the black market. When he is sent to take a sample from the current celeb-du-jour, Hannah Geist (Gadon), he injects some of the cells into himself before returning to the clinic where he suddenly becomes seriously unwell and has to excuse himself. When he wakes the next morning he discovers Geist has passed away from the disease. As Syd searches for answers to prevent his own imminent death, he uncovers a far-reaching conspiracy.
David Cronenberg is a divisive figure. Some critics hail him as one of the greatest film-makers of his time. Canadians consider him a national treasure. With a few exceptions, (The Fly, The Dead Zone, Videodrome), I find his films a tough slog. Over the past decade he's grown increasingly pretentious, culminating in last year's unwatchable 'Cosmopolis'. Now his son, Brandon, has taken up the mantle, and the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. In fact, it didn't even fall off the tree, rather it landed on the next branch down. As you would expect from a member of the Cronenberg brood, the apple in question is decidedly rotten.
The premise of 'Antiviral' is interesting enough but the idea of examining celebrity obsession seems stale at this point. Thanks to reality T.V, people no longer look up to celebrities as we now live in an age where anyone can become a star. The central idea of Cronenberg's film could possibly work effectively as a 45 minute episode of a T.V anthology show but there's far too much pretentious padding to fill up the 108 minutes offered here. The film seems to exasperate its story before the hour mark, presenting us with endless scenes of "body-horror", most of which consist of characters puking out their innards. Landry Jones has an interesting look but seems wildly miscast. With his pasty pale features, he appears to be on death's door right from the film's opening. We can't see any discernible physical transformation over the course of the film.
It's difficult to imagine Cronenberg getting this film made, at least in its current form, without the clout of his family name. Nepotism rarely wields positive results, certainly not in this case.

Daniel Parsons

A fucked up film that isn't particularly subtle and lacks a sympathetic character but excels in icky imagery and the body horror aesthetic from… MoreA fucked up film that isn't particularly subtle and lacks a sympathetic character but excels in icky imagery and the body horror aesthetic from (unsurprisingly) David Cronenberg's early films.

Greg S

In the near future, fans will pay good money to be infected with a herpes simplex virus extracted from their favorite celebrity. Syd is in the business of… MoreIn the near future, fans will pay good money to be infected with a herpes simplex virus extracted from their favorite celebrity. Syd is in the business of supplying these bugs, but when he tries out the blood of the world's hottest model on himself, he accidentally infects himself with a fatal virus. Simultaneously trying to be science fiction, satire, body horror and a psychological thriller, ANTIVIRAL has a lot of moving parts that don't always mesh together; its wickedly interesting ideas and an excess of style help smooth over the many rough patches, though.

Walter M.

In "Antiviral," you must excuse Syd March(Caleb Landry Jones) for feeling ill today. He has injected a celebrity virus into himself, in order to get… MoreIn "Antiviral," you must excuse Syd March(Caleb Landry Jones) for feeling ill today. He has injected a celebrity virus into himself, in order to get it past security at the clinic where he works, so he can sell it on the black market. Luckily for him, he is not the worker who gets caught smuggling. So, he gets promoted to pay a house call to Hannah Geist(Sarah Gadon) to collect her latest virus.
Admittedly, "Antiviral" does have a creepy atmosphere and a creepier Malcolm McDowell. But its story really does not add up to much. However, it does have one truly great idea. Which is that celebrity culture is in fact a very contagious and dangerous virus. After all, Bill Hicks did say that humanity is a virus with shoes.

Jeffrey Meyers

Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral is a strange film. Its themes are interesting, yet executed in a largely obvious manner. Its mechanisms are disturbing, yet… MoreBrandon Cronenberg's Antiviral is a strange film. Its themes are interesting, yet executed in a largely obvious manner. Its mechanisms are disturbing, yet never quite elevated to the level one might expect. Categorizing it as a sci-fi film is perhaps most accurate, with a slight horror bend, yet it never conforms to one specific genre. At the same time, it never fully satisfies on one particular element either.
The film revolves around a future society in which celebrity obsession has been taken to an all new level, with people paying to inject themselves with viruses from celebrities, and a society in which people eat flesh, copied off celebrity cells. In this world, one such salesman, finds himself caught up in a sort of murder conspiracy. All of this sounds very bizarre, and it is, yet the film never quite sells its premise in a compelling way. The celebrity obsessed theme is done to interesting effect, with especially interesting world building, yet such a premise will only get you so far without a cohesive narrative to really tie the story together. All great science fiction films have a story you can identify with on a base level, and yet Antiviral never delivers on this. On the surface, the murder mystery should be more interesting than it is. In actuality, the film never delivers on this premise. It's far more interested in its surrounding mechanisms and commentary, with too little attention being paid to the actual narrative on hand.
To be sure, the film features some good performances, and has a cool, calculated, and detached direction that I appreciated. None of this makes up for the film's lack of engagement. It feels more like a work of artistic exercise, taken to far, than an actual film. Interesting never substitutes for story, and Antiviral is proof of this.
2.5/5 Stars

Philip Price

I don't get it. Antiviral makes an attempt to be a cautionary tale of our current, fame-obsessed culture, but gets so wrapped up in its own sense of style… MoreI don't get it. Antiviral makes an attempt to be a cautionary tale of our current, fame-obsessed culture, but gets so wrapped up in its own sense of style and complexity it leaves the viewer behind. I tried desperately to become interested in the film, but there is something about these Cronenberg fellas that screams condescension as their films at first seem an interesting and welcoming venture that only end up patronizing us.

Nicki Marie

Strange, sterile little film. Very impressed with Caleb Jones, he has a Michael Pitt air to him which lends well to the character.
The movie has something to… MoreStrange, sterile little film. Very impressed with Caleb Jones, he has a Michael Pitt air to him which lends well to the character.
The movie has something to say about celebrity obsession, although I think (hope) we have not quite got to the point of worshipping a celebrity so much you would pay to be infected with a virus they had or eat meat genetically made from them, as is shown here.
I would like to watch this one again before commenting further. It is beautifully filmed, but is not entirely accessible on first view.

Shawn Montague

I failed to understand this movie at all, the more it progressed into the story I was more and more lost on why you would even make this a movie.. I had to look… MoreI failed to understand this movie at all, the more it progressed into the story I was more and more lost on why you would even make this a movie.. I had to look up the plot afterwards to understand but I'm still lost. The movie was still entertaining but its very,, veeeerryyyy strange.

Robert Brogan

Antiviral is not easy to characterize or rate. After the first half hour, I thought I would be rating it up. It begins more sci-fi than horror with a look into… MoreAntiviral is not easy to characterize or rate. After the first half hour, I thought I would be rating it up. It begins more sci-fi than horror with a look into a concept world (a kind of dystopia that people living in consider normal). From there it becomes less about the ideas and more a typical corporate thriller. The plot falls off and does not hold attention. Still, it is an interesting film that can be recommended to both fans of sci-fi and art house, though be warned that it has a fair amount of non-violent / psychological horror.

DA Zapata

Brandon Cronenberg has made a fittingly dark and superb directoral debut with Antiviral. This film was fantastically disturbing. It worked as both an… MoreBrandon Cronenberg has made a fittingly dark and superb directoral debut with Antiviral. This film was fantastically disturbing. It worked as both an under-your-skin psychological thriller and a bitingly original social commentary, while delving smoothly into art house territory. Sure, it's loaded with dark inspiration from his father's work-the great David Cronenberg-But Brandon C. is undoubtedly bringing something new to the table, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us.